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March 16
1800s *1895 - John T. Brush, owner of the Cincinnati Reds and the Indianapolis team of theWestern League, transfers six Reds to his minor league team. This sort of exchange becomes increasingly common in the 1890s as owners of more than one team shuttle their players between their teams throughout each season in an attempt to stock their most profitable team of the moment. This strategy causes much distrust among fans, who feel that their loyalties are being trampled. 1900s *1900 - At an American League meeting in Chicago, Ban Johnson announces that an A.L. team will be placed in the Windy City to ensure the stability of the league. Other franchises are in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. In an agreement with Chicago National League officials, the A.L. club will be situated on the south side of the city and will be permitted to use the nickname White Stockings, formerly used by the N.L. team. However, the White Stockings will not be able to use the word Chicago in their official name. The new franchise, known as the White Sox, will be the 1901 A.L. champion in their inaugural season. *1906 - Lloyd Waner is born in Harrah, Oklahoma. Although Waner weighed only 150 pounds, he was an all-around player who could hit for average, steal, field and throw as a center fielder, and beat opponents in countless ways. He will make his major league debut in 1927, batting .355 while garnering 223 hits, the latter figure establishing a National League rookie record that would not be broken until the 21st century. Waner will hit over .300 in 10 of his first 12 seasons, compiling a mark of .316 with 2,459 hits, and striking out just 173 times in an 18-season major league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers. Waner will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1967. *1907 - In a trade of legendary outfielders, the Detroit Tigers send Ty Cobb to the Cleveland Naps in exchange for Elmer Flick. Cleveland’s manager, Nap Lajoie, rejects the trade of future Hall of Famers. Flick will bat .302 in 1907 while Cobb will lead the American League with a .350 mark. *1908 - Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner, at age 34, announces his retirement. An annual rite of spring, it will not keep him from playing in 151 games, more than in any of the past 10 years, and leading the National League in batting average (for the sixth time), hits, total bases, doubles, triples, slugging, runs batted in, and stolen bases. He will miss the Triple Crown by hitting two fewer home runs than Tim Jordan's 12. 1910s 1920s 1930s *1932 - In St. Petersburg training camp, Babe Ruth signs a one-year contract for $75,000 and a percentage of the exhibition gate. Legend has it the Bambino signed a blank contract with the amount filled in later by New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert. *1937 - In an exhibition match, the Mexico City Agriculture team blanks the Philadelphia Athletics in the first inning before caving in and losing, 34–5. Ace Parker and Bob Johnson pole home runs for the Athletics. 1940s 1950s *1953 - American League owners turn down a bid made by Bill Veeck to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore. Spearheaded by Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, the vote is 6–2 against. Some observers speculate that the rejection is meant to force Veeck into selling his majority interest in the franchise. The next day, Veeck announces his willingness to sell the Browns for just under $2.5 million. *1954 - The Baltimore Orioles purchase first baseman Eddie Waitkus from the Philadelphia Phillies. 1960s *1960 - The Boston Red Sox send catcher Sammy White and outfielder Jim Marshall to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for catcher Russ Nixon. The trade is later canceled when White retires. *1961 - The state of New York approves a bond issue for the construction of a 55,000-seat stadium on the site of the 1939-40 World Fair in Queens Flushing Meadows area. Shea Stadium will be inaugurated three years later. *1967 - In one of the highest scoring spring training games ever, the Boston Red Sox tally ten earned runs in the ninth inning to upend the New York Mets, 23–18. Boston outhits the Mets 23 to 17 and Jim Lonborg is the eventual winner over Jack Hamilton. *1969 - A plane crash in Maracaibo, Venezuela kills 155 passengers including highly touted prospect Néstor (Látigo) Chávez, en route to the San Francisco Giants spring training camp. The 21-year-old pitcher, who posted a 1-0 in his rookie season with the Giants, was 12–5 with Double-A Waterbury in the Eastern League in 1967, including seven shutouts. 1970s *1972: **Hall of Fame third baseman Pie Traynor dies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 72. Traynor batted .320 over a 17-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a career-high .366 in 1930. **Oakland Athletics holdout Vida Blue announces that he has rejected the team’s latest contract offer and will retire to work for a company that makes toilet fixtures. The “retirement” won’t last long, as Blue will eventually come to terms with the Oakland and begin his season in May. A 24-game winner in 1971, Blue will have a 6-10 record in 1972. *1978 - High-priced free agent pitcher Andy Messersmith separates his shoulder in an exhibition game for the New York Yankees. A 20-game winner both for the Angels and Dodgers, Messersmith will never win a game for the Yankees. 1980s *1984 - The New York Mets sign suspended outfielder Jerry Martin as a free agent. *1985 - Denny McLain, winner of the American League Cy Young Award in 1968, is convicted of racketeering, extortion, and cocaine possession in Tampa, Florida. McLain will serve 29 months of a 23-year sentence before an appeals court overturns the decision. 1990s *1992: **Anaheim Angels pitcher Matt Keough is hit in the head by a batted ball during an exhibition game in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is taken to the hospital and undergoes emergency surgery to remove a blood clot. **The Pittsburgh Pirates trade pitcher John Smiley to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for pitcher Denny Neagle and outfielder Midre Cummings. *1994 - Eric Show, who won 100 games pitching for the Padres, dies at age 37 of unknown causes at Rancho L'Abri Drug and Alcohol treatment center near San Diego, California. *1999 - National League Rookie of the Year Kerry Wood suffers a ligament tear in his right elbow. It will require surgery that will keep him out of action until 2000. 2000s *2000: **In a three-team deal, the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos all exchanged first basemen. Toronto trades David Segui to Texas, the Rangers then send Lee Stevens to the Expos, and Montreal then swaps Brad Fullmer to the Blue Jays. **Florida Marlins starting pitcher A.J. Burnett ruptures a ligament in his right thumb during a fielding practice drill. He will be sidelined for 10-12 weeks. *2001 - Slugger Sammy Sosa signs a four-year contract extension with the Chicago Cubs. In the last three seasons the prolific home run hitter has averaged nearly sixty homers per year (179). *2006 - In the inaugural World Baseball Classic, Mexico eliminated the United States 2–1 at Angel Stadium in front of 35,284 boisterous fans whose allegiance was split down the middle. Mexico had helped United States in Round One by beating Canada, thus staving off elimination for the Americans, but showed no such gratitude in Round Two. Jorge Cantú drove in both runs and eight pitchers limited the US team to three hits, none after the fifth inning. With Japan, United States and Mexico all finishing 1-2 in Round Two, a complicated tiebreaker involving runs allowed divided by the number of innings played against each other was invoked. Japan allowed the fewest runs per inning played and joins South Korea, Cuba and the Dominican Republic in the final round in San Diego from March 18-20. South Korea, the only unbeaten team in the tournament at 6-0, previously saved the US from elimination with a 2–1 win against Japan. In what may be the final start of his illustrious career, Roger Clemens, who strongly hinted at retirement this week, gave up six hits and struck out four, allowing two runs in 4 1/3 innings. In the third inning, Mario Valenzuela sliced a fly ball directly down the right field line that replays showed hit off the foul pole for a home run. But controversial umpire Bob Davidson ruled the ball went off the short outfield wall and awarded Valenzuela a double, which set off a lengthy argument from Mexico. On March 12, Davidson overruled a decision that denied Japan a crucial run in a lost cause against United States. Cantú, however, this time nullified the call with a two-out RBI single for a 1-0 Mexico lead. United States scored its only run in the fourth, after Vernon Wells drove in Chipper Jones with a sacrifice fly. In the inning, Valenzuela had a defensive gem in right field to taking away a home run from Alex Rodriguez. Valenzuela scored his second run in the fifth on Cantú's RBI ground out. Those were all the runs Mexico needed. Births *1859 - Jerry Denny, infielder (d. 1927) *1865 - Patsy Donovan, outfielder (d. 1953) *1871 - Bill Bernhard, pitcher (d. 1949) *1874 - Bill Duggleby, pitcher (d. 1944) *1902 - Jake Flowers, infielder (d. 1962) *1904 - Buddy Myer, All-Star infielder (d. 1974) *1906 - Lloyd Waner, Hall of Fame outfielder (d. 1982) *1913 - Ken O'Dea, All-Star catcher (d. 1985) *1919 - Tom Gorman, player and umpire (d. 1986) *1927 - Clint Courtney, catcher (d. 1975) *1930 - Hobie Landrith, catcher *1932 - Don Blasingame, All-Star infielder (d. 2005) *1943 - Rick Reichardt, outfielder *1959 - Charles Hudson, pitcher *1970 - Quinton McCracken, outfielder *1976 - Abraham Núñez, infielder *1979 - Hee-Seop Choi, infielder *1981 - Curtis Granderson, outfielder *1983 - Brandon League, pitcher Deaths *1899 - John Healy, pitcher (b. 1866) *1954 - George Grantham, infielder (b. 1900) *1958 - Leon Cadore, pitcher (b. 1890) *1969 - Néstor Chávez, pitcher (b. 1947) *1972 - Pie Traynor, Hall of Fame infielder (b. 1899) *1987 - Bob Kline, pitcher (b. 1909) *1988 - Jigger Statz, outfielder (b. 1897) *1994 - Eric Show, pitcher (b. 1956) *2005 - Dick Radatz, All-Star pitcher (b. 1937)